Minkah Fitzpatrick, College Football
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New York Jets rookie Jamal Adams gets love from PFF. Plus, why Minkah Fitzpatrick is an ideal fit in the Jets secondary in 2018.

Who would have thought the New York Jets would get a double-dip of love from Pro Football Focus?

Well, that’s the case after PFF released their final grades for all the first rounders in last year’s NFL Draft:

Jamal Adams was the 10th highest-ranked rookie out of the first round with a score of 81.2.

Take a look at how three players the Jets were known to have high on their draft board—who they could have taken instead of Adams—graded out.

Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State (90.7)

Jets didn’t draft him because there were too many red flags in terms of durability. He proved with New Orleans that, when healthy, he can be a top-five corner in the NFL.

Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson (75.1)

While he was the No. 1 quarterback on my big board last year, there were huge concerns about his obscene amount of turnovers in a friendly spread offense with the Tigers. He ended up cutting the turnovers down and increasing his production in the pros but saw his season end prematurely due to injury. If he had stayed healthy he would’ve been a lock for Rookie of the Year honors.

OJ Howard, TE, Alabama (41.9)

A sexy pick to the Jets in mock drafts leading up to the NFL Draft. He ended up falling to 19th overall due to concerns about his lack of production and his transition to the pros. He ended up putting up paltry stats and the Jets had a career renaissance of their own with Austin Seferian-Jenkins emerging.

Another Draft Target

Steve Palazzolo did a recent piece for Pro Football Focus linking the top players from the National Championship Game to their ideal fits in the NFL. There was only one player who got the Jets on the list and that’s versatile playmaker Minkah Fitzpatrick. He wrote:

“Fitzpatrick will battle Florida State safety Derwin James for the title of top defensive-playmaker, as they’re both versatile playmakers capable of making an impact in all phases and in different positions. Fitzpatrick can play on the outside or in the slot while bringing a linebacker mentality to the run game, as evidenced by his 85.9 grade against the run that ranks fourth among the nation’s cornerbacks. The Browns, Jets, and Colts are all in need of impact players in the secondary, and while the Browns and Jets will certainly be eyeing quarterbacks with their respective top-10 picks, Fitzpatrick could be the right fit in that range.”

He’s officially listed at safety, but apparently has the versatility to play in the nickel or the slot. For more information on this, we spoke with NFL Draft Insider Connor Rogers earlier this week to break down all these top prospects:

Other Jets News, Stories:

  • Can Jets be confident that Mike Maccagnan can find their franchise quarterback? (Connor Hughes of NJ.com).
  • Two years after coming up short, these ex-Jets are looking for playoff glory (Rich Cimini of ESPN New York).
  • An all too early Jets mock draft (Kristian Dyer of Metro Sports).
People call me Boy Green for my unwavering dedication to all things New York Jets. I work at The Score 1260 in Syracuse and I'm extremely passionate about sports. I aspire to continue my rise through the business and hopefully I'll end up working for the New York Jets in some capacity.